Pangkalpinang, Babel Islands (ANTARA) – The Health Office of Bangka Belitung (Babel) Islands Province readied COVID-19 vaccination services at a number of Eid al-Fitr exodus posts to bolster the immunity of the homecoming travelers against COVID-19.”We hope the vaccination services can prevent a surge in COVID-19 cases from occurring after Eid al-Fitr this year,” the office’s Head of Primary Health Service Section M Zaenuri said here on Sunday. Hopefully, the vaccination booths could facilitate people partaking in the Eid exodus to get primary, third, and fourth vaccinations, he said. Zaenuri appealed to unvaccinatedtravelers to immediately get the COVID-19 vaccine to prevent them from being infected by the virus during the journey to their hometowns and the Eid celebration. “Even though there has been no mandatory vaccination policy for Eidhomecoming travelers this year, we appeal to the travelers to get vaccinated and maintain health protocols during the exodus to avoid the coronavirus,” he remarked. The Secretary of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force of Bangka Belitung Islands, Mikron Antariksa, stated that vaccination is one of the government’s strategic steps to curb the spread of the coronavirus and reduce morbidity and fatality due to COVID-19. “We need to remain alert because this coronavirus still exists, and a surge in cases may occur due to carelessness and neglect in following government recommendations, namely vaccination and being disciplined in implementing health protocols,” Antariksa said. s part of the efforts to boost community immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021, targeting 234,666,020 citizens. ccording to data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of April 8, 2023, some 203,825,948 Indonesians have received the first vaccine dose, 174,859,128 have received the second dose, 68,663,704 have taken the third dose or first booster, and 3,102,302 people have received the fourth dose or second booster. baca-jugaRelated news: One thousand Eid exodus travelers depart from Pulo Gebang TerminalRelated news: ASDP prepares 23 ro-ro vessels at Padangbai Port for Eid exodusRelated news: Need to anticipate COVID transmission during homecoming: Minister
Source: Antara News Agency